Cherishing memories :
For their size , young children sure can create a lot of artwork and “ creations ”, sometimes they seem to create new masterpieces every day ! The hard part as a parent is what to do with it all as there can be a LOT of it ; do you keep it , or throw it ? Artwork can be a great visual memory of how far your child has developed .... watch as your child ’ s pictures develop with more detail and consideration . From a few crazy scribbles on a page , to a simple stick person , through to one with a face and pretty dress looking at the sunny sky while dancing through the flowers ! Here are a few ideas for you to deal with the piles of artwork in your house :
Display It
Put the artwork on display ... children love to see their creations on show .
Hang up a piece of string and use little pegs to clip the art work up . This is an easy way to swap out new artwork .
Use a corkboard , clipboards or even a coathanger to hang artwork up and display ; super easy and cheap !
Be creative – paint a wall in chalkboard paint and stick your pictures to this with blutack . You can then use chalk to draw frames around the pictures . Or why not try painting a wall with magnetic paint and use magnets to clip up artwork to the wall .
The Child Artist
Frame it – buy some cheap frames and put your children ’ s artwork up on the wall in pride of place .
Cut them up into smaller pieces to make a mosaic type picture – see tutorial on page 8 .
Archive It
Create folders that you can stick artwork into .... pick your favourite ones and file away . Make sure you date the picture and the child ’ s age so you don ’ t forget when they were done .
Take photos of the artwork , this way you can still keep the artwork to look at but it takes up a whole less space ! You could also then use the photos in frames and canvas prints etc .
Upcycle It
Got a creative bent yourself ? Why not try turning your child ’ s artwork into a toy , an embroidery hoop or put it on a t-shirt or teatowel ?
This is a great idea as it brings their picture to life and would make a great keepsake or a present for your extended family . If you don ’ t have the skills nor the time there are plenty of clever people out there that can do it for you .
Images courtesy of : 1 . Mondocherry 2 . Mondocherry 3 . & 4 . Little Artist 5 . Childs Own
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